With several years of staycations and working from home, officials at the Kimpton Schofield on East 9^th Street have started to see many guests who opt for extended stays—one of the biggest travel trends of 2022, according to Forbes.

What’s becoming known as “workations”—mixing business and leisure travel with more people having the ability to work remotely—has increased interest in longer-term hotel rentals, says George Toma, director of sales for the Kimpton Schofield.

“I think more people can work remotely than ever before,” he says, noting that the hotel has seen many guest staying for longer periods. “We really wanted to give the Kimpton guest more options.”

So, last year hotel staff began converting the eighth floor from apartments, into extended stay hotel suites. The 14-story historic Schofield building, designed by Levi Scofield in 1902 and renovated in 2016 to become the Kimpton Schofield, is comprised of hotel rooms on the first seven floors and apartments on the upper floors.

Toma says the staff began to notice the extended stay trend last year and began to adapt. “On the eighth floor, some of the residents didn’t renew their leases and the last couple of tenants were offered upgrades to move to upper-level apartments,” he explains. “This has been a year in the making.”

The seven suites on the eighth floor are one- or two-bedroom, one- and two-bath units with full kitchens with dishwashers; coffee makers and toasters; laundry facilities; and free Wi-Fi. “We did a little soft remodeling,” says Toma. “We touched everything up and put in new flooring and new bathrooms. We really wanted to give more options for our guests.”

Toma points out that Heinen’s grocery store is right across the street, so guests can easily stock up on groceries, or they can call ahead and Kimpton staff can pick up their orders.

“The desire to get back to traveling, coupled with the ability to work remotely, are contributing factors to extended stay travel,” says Toma. “Travelers are seeking amenities such as a full kitchen, washer and dryer with the comforts of home. We are able to take it a step further by offering our long term stay suites with the amenities of a full-service hotel, such as valet parking, workout facilities, and an on-site restaurant. All located right in the heart of downtown Cleveland.”

The renovations began in January, Toma says, and they had planned to open the suites by the end of May. But supply chain issues delayed the conversion and the extended stay suites opened to guests on July 1.

The suites range from 800 square feet to 2,200 square feet, have city views of Public Square, Playhouse Square, and Lake Erie and offer the same services as the rest of the hotel guests—daily housekeeping, laundry services—and office space. And, of course, the Kimpton is pet friendly and offers pet services.

So far, Toma says the response to new extended stay suites has been positive. “We’re focusing on corporate guests coming in for a project, or professional athletes who don’t know how long they’ll be staying,” he says. “But guest can make reservations for two weeks and check out after a week—the same terms of a hotel room.”

Toma says the extended stay suites average between $399 and $499 per night, depending on the room and the length of stay. He advises looking at the different options on the reservation page.